This invention relates to a telephone exchange apparatus with a facsimile data broadcasting facility and a facsimile data broadcasting apparatus and, particularly, to a telephone exchange apparatus with a facsimile data broadcasting facility and a facsimile data broadcasting apparatus, which can concurrently broadcast image data to a plurality of destinations.
Conventionally, in, e.g., an office equipped with a telephone exchanger, when image data is to be broadcasted to a plurality of facsimile apparatuses, a system constituted by a telephone exchanger 914 and a facsimile data broadcasting apparatus 901, as shown in, e.g., FIG. 22, is used.
In FIG. 22, reference numeral 901 denotes a facsimile data broadcasting apparatus; 902, a CPU for controlling the facsimile data broadcasting apparatus 901; 903, a RAM for storing image data; 904, a ROM for storing a control program to be executed by the CPU 902; 905, a timer used in, e.g., protocol control for a facsimile communication; 906 to 909, modems for a facsimile communication (to be referred to as facsimile modems hereinafter); 910 to 913, office line interfaces for executing network control under the control of the CPU 902 to connect the modems to an extension unit; 914, a telephone exchanger; 915, an office line unit, included in the telephone exchanger 914, for connection with a telephone network; 916, an extension unit, included in the telephone exchanger 914, for connection with, e.g., extension telephone sets; 917, a telephone network for achieving telephone exchange control; 918 and 919, facsimile apparatuses connected to the extension unit 916 of the telephone exchanger 914; and 920 to 923, facsimile apparatuses connected to the telephone network 917.
A case will be examined below wherein image data output from the facsimile apparatus 918 is broadcasted to the facsimile apparatuses 920 to 923 via the facsimile data broadcasting apparatus 901.
Image data is transmitted from the facsimile apparatus 918 to the facsimile data broadcasting apparatus 901 via the telephone exchanger 914, is received via, e.g., the office line interface 910 and the facsimile modem 906, and is stored in the RAM 903 as image data to be broadcasted.
A case will be described below wherein the stored image data is concurrently broadcasted to the facsimile apparatuses 920 to 923.
The CPU 902 of the facsimile data broadcasting apparatus 901 controls the office line interfaces 910 to 913 to generate calls to the facsimile apparatuses 920 to 923, respectively. The telephone exchanger 914 generates calls to the facsimile apparatuses 920 to 923 from the office line unit 915 to the telephone network 917 on the basis of call generation requests from the extension unit 916. As a result, the office line interface 910 is connected to the facsimile apparatus 920 via the telephone exchanger 914 and the telephone network 917. Similarly, the office line interface 911 is connected to the facsimile apparatus 921, the office line interface 912 is connected to the facsimile apparatus 922, and the office line interface 913 is connected to the facsimile apparatus 923.
According to responses from the facsimile apparatuses, the CPU 902 transmits the image data to be broadcasted stored in the RAM 903 to the facsimile apparatuses via the facsimile modems 906 to 909. Facsimile apparatuses as broadcasting destinations are not limited to ones connected to the telephone network 917, but may be, e.g., the facsimile apparatus 919 and the like connected to the extension unit 916 of the telephone exchanger 914.
Image data can also be concurrently broadcasted to a plurality of facsimile apparatuses using a system having an arrangement shown in FIG. 23. Although constituting elements of the system shown in FIG. 23 are the same as those in FIG. 22, the office line interfaces 910 to 913 of the facsimile data broadcasting apparatus 901 are not connected to the telephone exchanger 914, but are directly connected to the telephone network 917 in the system shown in FIG. 23.
In this system, when image data from the facsimile apparatus 918 is to be broadcasted to the facsimile apparatuses 920 to 923 via the facsimile data broadcasting apparatus 901, image data transmitted from the facsimile apparatus 918 is transmitted to the facsimile data broadcasting apparatus 901 via the telephone exchanger 914 and the telephone network 917. The facsimile data broadcasting apparatus 901 receives this image data via, e.g., the office line interface 910 and the facsimile modem 906, and stores it in the RAM 903.
A case will be described below wherein the stored image data is concurrently broadcasted to the facsimile apparatuses 920 to 923.
The CPU 902 controls the office line interfaces 910 to 913 to generate calls to the facsimile apparatuses 920 to 923, respectively. As a result, the office line interface 910 is connected to the facsimile apparatus 920 via the telephone network 917. Similarly, the office line interface 911 is connected to the facsimile apparatus 921, the office line interface 912 is connected to the facsimile apparatus 922, and the office line interface 913 is connected to the facsimile apparatus 923. Thereafter, the CPU 902 transmits the image data stored in the RAM 903 to the facsimile apparatuses via the facsimile modems 906 to 909 according to responses from the facsimile apparatuses. Note that facsimile apparatuses as broadcasting destinations are not limited to ones connected to the telephone network 917, but may be, e.g., the facsimile apparatus 919 and the like connected to the extension unit 916 of the telephone exchanger 914. In this case, image data is broadcasted via the telephone network 917 and the telephone exchanger 914.
Furthermore, one facsimile apparatus connected to the telephone network 917 can broadcast image data to other facsimile apparatuses connected to the telephone network 917 via the facsimile data broadcasting apparatus 901.
For example, a case will be examined below wherein a facsimile apparatus 924 broadcasts image data to the facsimile apparatuses 920 to 923 via the facsimile data broadcasting apparatus 901. In this case, image data is transmitted from the facsimile apparatus 924 to the facsimile data broadcasting apparatus 901 via the telephone network 917. The image data received by the facsimile data broadcasting apparatus 901 is stored in the RAM 903 via, e.g., the office line interface 910 and the facsimile modem 906 under the control of the CPU 902.
Then, the stored image data is concurrently broadcasted from the facsimile data broadcasting apparatus 901 to the facsimile apparatuses 920 to 923. The CPU 902 controls the office line interfaces 910 to 913 to generate calls to the facsimile apparatuses 920 to 923, respectively. With this control, the office line interface 910 is connected to the facsimile apparatus 920, the office line interface 911 is connected to the facsimile apparatus 921, the office line interface 912 is connected to the facsimile apparatus 922, and the office line interface 913 is connected to the facsimile apparatus 923. According to responses from the facsimile apparatuses 920 to 923, the CPU 902 transmits the image data to be broadcasted stored in the RAM 903 to the facsimile apparatuses 920 to 923 via the facsimile modems 906 to 909.
However, in the system shown in FIG. 22, since the telephone exchanger and the facsimile data broadcasting apparatus are separate apparatuses, the telephone exchanger and the facsimile data broadcasting apparatus, i.e., the extension unit and the office line interfaces of the facsimile data broadcasting apparatus, must be connected by telephone lines. For example, even if the telephone exchanger and the facsimile data broadcasting apparatus are equipped in a single office, of lines which can be accommodated in the extension unit of the telephone exchanger, lines corresponding to those of the facsimile data broadcasting apparatus are required for connection with the facsimile data broadcasting apparatus. This poses a problem in terms of utilization efficiency of extensions.
In the case of the system shown in FIG. 23, since the office line interfaces of the facsimile data broadcasting apparatus are directly connected to the telephone network, the utilization efficiency of extensions of the telephone exchanger can be improved as compared to the system shown in FIG. 22. However, a user of this system must make new contracts with the telephone network supplier. Also, when data is broadcasted to even an extension facsimile apparatus, it must be done via the telephone network. In either case, running cost is considerably increased.
Furthermore, each of the facsimile data broadcasting apparatuses shown in FIGS. 22 and 23 requires expensive facsimile modems corresponding in number to destinations to which data is concurrently broadcasted even though image data to be transmitted remains the same, and a problem associated with apparatus production cost is also posed.
Conventionally, a facsimile data broadcasting apparatus 930, which has an arrangement including only one facsimile modem, as shown in FIG. 24, and can broadcast data to a plurality of destinations without going through any telephone exchanger, is known. The facsimile data broadcasting apparatus 930 has an arrangement obtained by excluding the facsimile modems 907 to 909 and the office line interfaces 911 to 913 from the arrangement of the facsimile data broadcasting apparatus 901 shown in FIGS. 22 and 23.
In a broadcasting transmission using such an apparatus, a sequential broadcasting method for transmitting data to a plurality of destination facsimile apparatuses by sequentially re-connecting a line is normally used.
However, the apparatus shown in FIG. 24 cannot execute concurrent broadcasting since it includes only one facsimile modem.